


Silent Night

by echoelbo



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 10:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3245585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoelbo/pseuds/echoelbo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One only needed a desire to protect innocents to join the Shepherds. Their tactician had that desire. Therefore, if he did not wish to talk about his past, that was fine. It was not their place to pry anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Please, get up…!”

Piercing screams echoed through the small town. She could recognize the owners of some of the screams – just yesterday the voices were discussing their dinner plans, shopping plans, future plans, some of the voices irritated and the others happy.

They were the voices of neighbors who protected her most of her life and gave her a place to call home.

She tuned out the voices, focusing on the body next to her.

“Please, you have to get up…”

Her voice was hoarse and grated against her throat, but she didn’t care. She nudged the now warm body, ignoring the rough texture of the charred skin. She wasn’t a healer –she had never taken the time to learn healing magic, as she had always preferred protecting people using sheer strength. Even if she had taken the time, though, she doubted she could help the person. The burns covered most of their body.

The screams and cries of pain were almost deafening and bright flames danced around the town, licking at everything and everyone indiscriminately. Yet there was a certain silence that filled the air, one that consisted of fire popping and the lack of movement from the person next to her.

The lack of breath from the person next to her.

A cold shudder ran through her body.

“Please…”

She nudged the body again, eliciting from it the same response as before – nothing. She knew how dire the situation was – if she didn’t run now, she likely wouldn’t live to see the sun rise the next day. If she didn’t run, she would die.

She didn’t run.

Instead, she grabbed the hand from the body next to her and held it firmly in her own. She let her head fall against the person’s shoulder and started crying quietly, uncontrollably. She remembered how much she would cry when she was younger, louder and wetter tears than she was shedding at the moment. She remembered a time when she got hurt in a mock fight with her brother and she ran to her mother, almost screaming her tears. She remembered her brother’s worried remarks and her mother’s warm embrace.

“Please… Get up, mom…”

Fires crackled around her as she leaned against her cold mother.

The sound of static cracked over the fire, and the girl felt her blood run cold. She pushed herself away from her mother, the realization of her actions hitting her. She turned her head to glare meekly at the guy who had approached her, her eyes swollen and red.

The world seemed to freeze over. She glared at the man for an eternity before he returned a friendly smile to her.

The book in his hand sparked a violent yellow against the dull red coloring the sky. He tilted his head playfully, before speaking with all the faux kindness in the world.

“Goodnight, my beloved sister.”


	2. Chapter 1 - Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Since I'll write one-shots with both Robins later on, I'm going to refer to male Robin as Reflet and female Robin as Robin. Likewise, male Morgan will be referred to as Marc while female Morgan stays as Morgan. The males will use their Japanese names whereas the females will keep their English names. Other than that, this fic is set in an alternate universe similar to the original. It will deviate further and further from the original as time progresses.

“Look at that cheeky smile… How much do you want to bet the boy doesn’t even have a good hand?”

“I’m not too sure about that… He seems pretty young; I don’t think he knows what a poker face is, even. He wouldn’t keep smiling like that if he didn’t have a good hand.”

“Ah, look at that. Aaron folded and the kid’s still going. I think that kid will win.”

“C’mon, don’t think too highly of him. He’s probably just a brat who came here to spite his mom after a fight or something.”

The tavern was a lively place. Lights dangled overhead, dimly casting the room and its occupants in an orange glow. The floors creaked ominously as people moved to and fro, drowned out by the hums of conversations. Despite all the murmurs surrounding him and the large amount of money he was betting on the game, Reflet felt relaxed. He hadn’t eaten for days, but the warm atmosphere of the tavern made him forget the way his stomach was trying to eat itself. It felt like a home to him, in an odd sort of way. All the familiar bantering, all the friendly shoves, all the clinking from mugs hitting other mugs in a toast – all of it soothed the young man.

The way the men in the tavern acted made him smile slightly wider. They had toothy grins, like those of sharks, and their bodies bulged from muscles Reflet would rather have not seen. They were taller and scarier looking than him, and they fit what his mom had once described to him as “bad boys”. Reflet wasn’t worried about these men, though, and he felt as if his mother wouldn’t have been either. The moment they had set eyes on Reflet, they had acted as though they were superior to him and talked loudly about their new guest, treating him like a kid.

He looked forward to smashing their pride to bits during his time here.

The end of the poker match came, and only Reflet and one other man were left. Reflet grimaced at the man – he looked like one giant muscle, even more so than the others. He was buff to the point where it didn’t look natural, and to top it off, he seemed to have a preference for keeping his shirt off. A preference most of the girls in the tavern seemed to appreciate, Reflet noted dryly to himself.

Despite his appearance, Reflet had a distinct feeling he could take him in a fight. As tough as he looked, the man reeked of pride – a lot like most of the visitors at the tavern, actually. They seemed like the kind of people who only fought fights they were certain they’d win.

His opponent had probably never been in a serious fight before.

The man grinned toothily at Reflet before slamming his cards on the desk and crossing his arms, already looking away and basking in pride. The crowd growing in the room cheered and chattered louder.

Reflet whistled, eyeing the cards with interest. A flush. That was better than he had expected from the man, Reflet would give him that.

He put his own cards down calmly and the room fell silent. The other man froze, a sinking realization slowly hitting him before he looked back over.

A straight flush.

Reflet smiled warmly at the man before taking the money from the pot.

An unnerving amount of time had passed. As Reflet began wondering if he should get up and run, a new noise permeated the room. The crowd yelled at each other and money was passed around, secured by bets. A few men slapped Reflet on the back, congratulating the boy on his victory. Reflet accepted the praise modestly as his opponent sat in shock. He wanted to laugh at the poor man, but he held it back. He watched the man out of the corner of his eye.

The shock wore off slowly and was replaced by anger and disbelief.

“That was dumb luck! I demand a rematch!” the man across from Reflet yelled, slamming his hands on the table and silencing the room. He glared at Reflet.

Reflet returned the glare with the warmest smile he could muster, barely managing to bite back the laughter rising in his throat.

“I accept your challenge,” he returned calmly.

* * *

Three travelers walked slowly towards the town, traversing fields of green grass. They were weary from their journey, some more than others, yet onward they trudged.

With a half-hearted whine, the youngest member, a young blonde girl, spoke up. “Chrooom, I’m hungry! It’s been so long since we’ve last seen a town! When’s the next one?”

Her older brother smiled warmly back at her before responding. “Come now, Lissa! We just left the last town this morning, we’ll meet another soon.”

“Our next town is in sight, milady. See that speck over there?” the brown haired knight spoke up.

“That tiny speck?! That’s going to take forever to reach! It’ll be dark by the time we get there!”

“Peace, Lissa. It’s not as far as it looks! We’ll get there with plenty of time before dark.”

“Don’t forget, milord, that we’re here to deal with a bandit problem. We won’t have much time to relax during our visit.”

“I know, Frederick. We can at least stay there for a bit, though! We have plenty of time before nightfall. And hey, the speck’s already starting to look like a town!”

“… A town with smoke coming out of it.”

“Oh gods, no.”

* * *

“Good game,” Reflet said warmly, grabbing and pocketing another pot’s worth of money.

He could barely hear himself think over the roar of the tavern. With that last game, he had a winning streak of four games. The crowd around him cheered him on more than he had imagined they would, making bets more openly than before.

Reflet felt the money in his pocket and smiled. He couldn’t tell what pleased him more, the money itself and the essentials he was now able to afford or the crushed looks on his opponents’ faces. He told himself it was the money – his stomach was yelling at him to get food and after days of waiting, he finally had a chance.

On the flip side, he didn’t think he’d ever seen someone look so frustrated. It was intoxicating, having power over someone who looked like they could snap a person in two.  
Reflet stood up, propping a hand on the table. “I have to call it a day. Thank you for playing with me,” he spoke, the words sincere. He had been worried about his money situation, but they had helped him. They certainly hadn’t intended to, but he was glad regardless.

As he began moving towards the door, a hand grabbed his hood and pulled him back.

“Where do you think you’re going, cheater?”

Reflet froze, a cold shiver running through his spine. “To get some food. I have not eaten in days, and the prospect sounds amazing right about now,” he answered sincerely.

The man didn’t let go. Reflet thought through a million potential actions in that moment, all being shot down quickly. He needed food and starting a fight over his honesty would not get him that. It was too small of a town to be able to function in if people saw him as dishonest.

The man yanked up on the cloak and Reflet squeaked in surprise, still facing towards the door but now unable to touch the ground. He pulled his knees closer to his stomach, getting ready to catch himself if he was dropped.

“Four games in a row? There’s almost no way that’d happen, tramp,” said the man before turning his head and speaking to everyone in the tavern. “It’s far more likely that the boy cheated, wouldn’t you say?”

“And here I thought I was just a brat that did not know the rules of the game,” Reflet whispered under his breath. Then, louder, “I did not cheat! I did not even know the rules coming in! You guys had to show me, remember?”

“That was a bluff! Besides, a newbie would be even less likely to win! I vote we search the kid, see if he has any cards on him.”  
Reflet subconsciously moved both of his hands to his chest, his left hand placed over the glove of his right. The last thing he wanted was to be searched. He prepared to speak firmer and insist on his innocence, but something caught his attention. He froze before looking outside.

The change in his demeanor wasn’t missed. As the atmosphere in the room became silent and stilted, someone spoke up.

“Is something wrong, kid? Look, the big guy’s just a little frustrated, he didn’t mean anything when he –“

“Is that smoke?”

A heavy silence filled the room. The man dropped Reflet and pushed him to the side, walking outside to get a better view. After a few seconds, he ran back into the tavern and grabbed his ax from near the poker table. A few others joined suit before running out towards the direction of the smoke. Reflet walked out after the men and stopped outside the tavern, debating on whether to join the men or get food, before ultimately deciding that food can keep waiting. His stomach protested, but he ignored it, running as fast as he could towards the smoke.

* * *

Steel clanged against steel as a fight broke out at the edge of town. All around the town were the cries of warriors fighting for their lives and the lives of others. It was a heartwarming sight, in a sense, but Reflet didn’t have time to think about that. He ran over tactics in his mind, trying to figure out what would be the most effective method to drive the thugs away. His current goal was to kill their leader, which would most likely cause some of the weaker members to turn tail and run. How to reach the leader and whether or not killing him would be simple, Reflet did not know. He supposed he would figure that out when he got there.

Reflet ran towards the strong scent of blood and smoke, slipping past the skirmishes around him. It was easy to pass by at the moment because of the fights around him, but he didn’t think there’d be much going on around the leader. If he helped out here, he’d have a bigger group to attack the leader with, but that would take a while and cost a decent amount of energy.

His feet tapped the ground lightly as he continued running, dodging swings and conflicts before diving into a back alley, still heading towards the smoke. He should find the leader first and figure out what the conditions would be like in that fight. If the leader was alone, Reflet could take him – or her, Reflet supposed - on himself. If the leader had his underlings around him, Reflet would go back and try to get reinforcements.

He slowed when the alley nearly ended. With hesitation, he peeked out of the alley, surveying the situation. He held his breath as he counted the mages and swordsmen around the area, their blades clean. A small sigh of relief left his lips as he spotted a burly axman – that man was likely the leader. Just as Reflet was about to turn back to find reinforcements, every fighter seemed to snap to attention at the same time. Curiosity got the best of Reflet, and he followed their gazes to a small group of people.

Three people, one with a terrible sense of fashion. Two of the people had weapons and one had a staff. He watched as a fight broke out – the three were clearly outnumbered, and yet they persevered.

On one hand, these people could be citizens that are trying to defend themselves, though Reflet doubted that. One looked like a knight upon a warhorse, so at least one of them was likely trained for this kind of situation. On the other hand, they could all be good fighters and Reflet was simply judging them too early. He doubted that as well – good fighters knew their limits, and these odds were overwhelmingly against them.

Either way, it was in his interest to help them. Reflet shot a wistful glance back at the alley from whence he came before readying his sword and silently jumping at the back of a nearby mage.

* * *

Chrom parried a blow from the closest swordsman, pushing the fiend away before shifting forward to strike again. His blade cut across the man’s chest and the man fell to his knees in front of Chrom. With one last movement, Chrom thrust his sword into the man’s back, ensuring his death. He held the body down with his foot as he pulled his blade out messily.

Chrom stepped away from the body, looking over to his left. Frederick was deftly protecting Lissa some distance away from him, fighting with a lot more ease than Chrom had despite being upon his horse. He supposed it was fair – Frederick was older than him and a knight. He’d had a lot more training than Chrom.

The sound of fire crackling to his right caught his attention and he noticed a mage casting fire magic quickly enough to dodge the spell. The heat of the flame lightly burned his cheek, but Chrom ignored it, running forward with heavy-sounding steps. Before he could reach the mage, however, a swordsman ran in from the side, attacking Chrom. Chrom focused his attention on the swordsman, acutely aware of the fire forming near the mage.

As he was about to finish off the swordsman, he could see the fire diffuse from the corner of his eye. After the swordsman was on the ground in front of him, gasping his last breaths, Chrom turned to see a different swordsman behind the body of a collapsed mage. The man was a tad younger than Chrom and donned a Plegian outfit, though he didn’t seem to be with the enemy, whom Chrom knew to be Plegian. He was covered in blood, though he didn’t look hurt. Chrom debated asking if he was fine or not and who he was, but the man beat him to it.

“I hope challenging all these thugs with your small group was not the smartest choice you have made all day,” the man said dryly.

Chrom smiled. He had a pretty voice. “It’s the only reason we’re here, actually.” The man gave Chrom an incredulous look. “You look like you’re here for a similar reason, are you not?”

The man sighed. “I had planned to get back up in order to defeat their leader. If you three were not here, I would not have joined – or rather, started – the fight here yet. Though while I am here, my name is Reflet. Despite the sword I carry,” he gestured to the bloody blade in his hand, “I am more a travelling tactician than a swordsman.” Then, with a small bow, “I will accompany you in this fight, if you will have me.”

Chrom laughed light-heartedly at his companion. “Please, there’s no need to treat me so formally. My name is Chrom, and I would be honored to have you fight by my side. You claim you are more of a tactician than a fighter, though. If you are deadly with a sword, I would be pleased if you would show me how deadly you are with your mind!”

Reflet laughed under his breath, apparently finding the comment funny, before turning his attention back to the fight. He looked over to Frederick, who was clearing his area with little difficulty, before looking over to the axman. Then he looked back at Chrom, gesturing at the axman. “It seems to me like that man is the leader. I doubt everything will sort itself out if we take him down, but I do believe that the enemy will become more disorganized and easier to strike down. Of course, if he is the leader, he would be harder to take down than the other thugs around here. Not to mention the lackeys he has around him, though I think we can take both of them out swiftly before we face him.” Reflet looked thoughtful. Chrom listened intently, not missing a word of the tactician’s ramblings. “This area looks secured as long as your friend keeps fighting,” he gestured at Frederick, “so I think we two should go after the leader.  I would not feel comfortable alone, but you seem to be skilled with your sword.” He tilted his head to the side slightly, meeting Chrom’s gaze directly. “Unless you have any objections?”

Chrom laughed. “I had fully intended to just swing my sword at any enemy in sight, but your method seems a lot more efficient.” Reflet made a mock gesture of disgust at the remark. “Their leader is just across the bridge. Let us go together, friend!”

Reflet simply nodded before gesturing for Chrom to move first. Chrom obeyed easily, breaking into a run towards his enemies. His steps were loud, a combination of the metal covering parts of him and his general sturdiness. The fighters in front of him readied for his attack, yet Chrom couldn’t help but want to stop and look back behind him. If Reflet was following him, he sure wasn’t making much sound.

He threw himself wholly at the first person he met with, trying to kill him as fast as he could to prevent others from backing him up. As he fought his enemy, a flash of black passed by him, engaging the other two before they could hinder Chrom.

Fighting without the worry of being ganged up on made the fight easier, but Chrom had no intention of leaving Reflet by himself. He cut down his enemy deftly and made his way to help the swordsman. He engaged one of the enemies, directing its attention away from his companion.

Two bodies hit the ground in sync. Chrom and Reflet stepped back in unison, stopping when their backs touched lightly. After a second, Chrom kicked off towards the axman, now certain of Reflet’s presence behind him. He reached his quarry in a matter of seconds, his sword clashing with an ax. The two held each other in place for a small while before the axman pushed Chrom away, preparing a counterstrike. His attempt was thwarted when a different sword clashed against his ax, forcing him back. Chrom composed himself and used the time Reflet was buying to drive his sword into the man, twisting his blade before pulling it out.

Reflet watched the man fall before them. He sighed, placing his sword back at his side before turning to Chrom, concern in his eyes.

“You really had not planned out how to take the leader down, had you?”

“I thought he’d be as easy to take down as his lackeys.”

Reflet covered his face and groaned. “Everything about him screamed danger! Did you not pay attention to his build? To the respect his lackeys seemed to have for him? To the fact that he was their leader?!”

“Coming from the person who took on two enemies so that I’d only have to fight one! Speaking of which, you’re not hurt, right?”

Reflet’s look was one of pure exasperation. “One of them had scratched me, but it is nothing big.” He gestured to a cut on his sleeve. “I am more worried about you. You are rather headstrong, it seems. You were close to getting severely hurt by that axman.”

Chrom laughed. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me,” Reflet repeated dryly.

“Milord, are you alright?”

Frederick rode up to Chrom, eying Reflet curiously.

Chrom smiled at his knight. “Peace, Frederick. He means us no harm.”

“You can never be too sure, milord.”

“He fought beside me over here. He’s a capable fighter and tactician.”

“Tactician? Most tacticians don’t fight, milord.”

“Most tacticians lead an army or at least a group of fighters, whereas I do not,” Reflet interjected. “Tactics will not help me defend myself when I am alone. Besides,” he added, smiling, “I like the feeling of fighting with a sword. It makes me feel more grounded. But enough about that. My name is Reflet. Pleased to meet you, Sir Frederick.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Frederick answered. Reflet looked over Frederick’s shoulder, eying the girl behind him as obviously as he could.

Chrom answered for Frederick. “The girl is my little sister, Lissa.”

After her short introduction, Lissa sauntered over to Reflet, holding her staff behind her back. “I’m the healer in our small group. Nice to meet you, Reflet!”

Reflet laughed. “Nice to meet you, too, Lissa! The healer, huh? You probably have your hands full with your brother here.”

Lissa laughed at the jab. Chrom’s face heated up slightly, but he chose to ignore the comment. “Lissa, Reflet was hurt during that skirmish. Can you help him?”

“Here I thought you would be hurt, Chrom. Come here, Reflet! How bad is it?”

Reflet smiled, moving towards Lissa obediently and rolling up his sleeve to reveal his cut. “It is not bad at all. Your brother worries too much. More importantly,” he added, serious, “we need to help clear out the town. There are likely still bandits wreaking havoc deeper in. They should not be hard to take care of, as the town has been working on them, but regardless.”

Frederick nodded. “I agree. I’ll take up the front, then. Chrom and Reflet can help the citizens and escort Lissa around to heal the wounded.”

Reflet smiled. “It looks like one of the fighters here has common sense.” Then, before Chrom could reply, “That strategy sounds… well, sound. The three of us will follow behind you, Frederick.”

* * *

The four cleared out the thugs quickly. There wasn’t much to clear out – most of their enemies had already been taken care of. Lissa had her hands full treating citizens.

When they had finished what they could do, the four met back up.

Chrom spoke first. “Reflet, you said you were a traveller, correct?” Reflet nodded. “Well, why not join us? It’d be safer than staying by yourself.”

“Join your group? I am not too sure about that. Your knight seems to think that I am overstaying my visit as is.”

“Frederick won’t mind, I’m sure. Besides, having someone guide our blades would be helpful!”

“Milord,” Frederick interjected, “Reflet is a skilled swordsman for sure, and while having another fighter would be helpful, have you forgotten what ‘caution’ is? Reflet wears Plegian robes.”

Chrom shot Frederick a pointed glare. “He is willing to risk his life to protect a town, that should be enough. He is a good man.”

Reflet laughed. “A good man, perhaps, but still from Plegia! Plegia, the place with which Ylisse is at war. Plegia, the home of the bandits that attacked this town. Plegia, the land of the Grimleal Ylisse despises so. Surely you have not forgotten this, Chrom? No one else I have met in Ylisse has.”

Chrom smiled. “A good Plegian man.” He turned to Frederick, face more serious. “Besides, if he had intended to attack us, he would have. If he was a spy, he wouldn’t be wearing Plegian clothes. I may not be as good at reasoning as others here, but I believe he means us no harm.”

Frederick sighed. “Very well. If milord wishes it, Reflet may travel with us. Assuming that’s what he wants, of course.”

“I am not too sure. Mother had always told me not to ride off with handsome strangers,” Reflet responded, smiling to himself.

“And your father?” Frederick asked automatically.

Reflet froze and his smile fell. It was clear that he had not expected that reply. He looked down thoughtfully. Then, after a pause, he answered in his sweetest tone, “Father had once told me that handsome strangers tend to be richer and weaker, making them better to kill and steal from.”

Frederick looked at the man in horror. Reflet laughed at the response. “Do not worry, I have always respected my mother more than my father. Regardless, as long as you three will have me, I would like to join your group. I have nowhere I need to be and no home to which I must return, so I can follow you as long as you permit it.”

“All right!” Lissa exclaimed, grabbing Reflet’s arm. “Now that you’re part of our group, can you show us around town? We just got here and I’d like to see what this town has to offer before we leave!”

“Which would be right now, milady.” Frederick spoke. Lissa looked at him with horror.

“All for the better, Lissa. I had only just arrived in town as well, so I cannot show you what it has to offer.” Reflet said. Lissa pouted, but Reflet ignored her and turned back to Frederick. “All I have on me is all I have. I am ready to go whenever.”

“Then we can leave right now!” Chrom replied, smiling at Reflet. Reflet nodded back, ready to follow after. Chrom didn’t ignore the gesture – instead, he nodded towards his side. Reflet hesitated, but Chrom insisted. “We’ve plenty to talk about, friend! I’d rather you walk beside me.”

Reflet sighed. “’Plenty to talk about’ sounds ominous.” Regardless, he walked up to Chrom’s side. “What do you wish to talk about? Any bit of backstory about me would be a sore topic. I do not have an interesting past regardless.”

Chrom smiled, taking the first step back to the capitol alongside Reflet. “Your past does not define you. Do you have any hobbies?”

“Ah, well, I like reading books and sword fighting. Exactly what one would expect from a tactician that fights. I am also a fan of chess and card games.”


End file.
